Fly-In set for this weekend

October 03, 2007

The ninth annual Hagerstown Fly-In and Fairchild Aircraft Family Reunion is scheduled for Oct. 6 and 7, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place at the Hagerstown Aircraft Services facility at the Hagerstown Regional Airport. Admission is free.

The annual fly-in and reunion is designed to bring together former Fairchild employees, members of the aviation community, and the general public with an interest in aviation and its extensive local history.

The Hagerstown Aviation Museum will have a display at the event, featuring part of the museum's collection. Several Fairchild aircraft that were built in Hagerstown will be on display, as well as modern, classic, antique planes and vintage warbirds.

Children ages 8 through 17 will have the opportunity to experience flight, free of charge, through the generosity of local pilots in the Experimental Aircraft Association's "Young Eagles" program.

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An EAA booth will be set up to view examples of homebuilt aircraft. The EAA will also have information on buying and restoring your own aircraft.

Tracey Potter, president of Hagerstown Aircraft Services, will make his facilities available to see the way aircraft are repaired, maintained and painted. Potter and his staff will also be on hand to answer questions. On Saturday only, bus tours of Hagerstown's Historic Aviation sites will be available. The bus tours will be hosted by the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, and begin at Hagerstown Aircraft Services. Points of interest include the Hagerstown Aviation Museum displays at Discovery Station in Hagerstown. The bus is sponsored by the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Breakfast and lunch will be available both days from the EAA Chapter 36.

New this year is a 1940s-style "Hangar Dance" at the airport's terminal. The event coincides with WJEJ Radio's 75th anniversary, and is co=sponsored by WJEJ and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Ray Birely Orchestra will perform. Light food and refreshments are included in the ticket price. There will also be a cash bar. All the proceeds benefit the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, and Discovery Station. The tickets are on sale from WJEJ, Discovery Station, and the CVB. For more information, call 301-791-3246.

The dance begins at 7 p.m. World War II aircraft will be on display near the terminal starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Dress is "smart casual" but 1940s style clothing is encouraged.

The annual fly-in and reunion is co-sponsored by Hagerstown Aircraft Services, the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 36, and the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Hagerstown Aviation Museum has the largest museum-owned collection of rare and historic aircraft in the State of Maryland. The museum has announced that a building project is planned for next to the Hagerstown Regional Airport, which will include displays and exhibits at the museum's permanent home. Hagerstown was home to several aircraft manufacturing companies, during a more than 75 year period, including the world-famous Fairchild Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which made several military planes including the A-10, PT-19, C-82 and C-119. Tens of thousands of people live in the Hagerstown-area, who once worked at the Fairchild facility during its years of operation.

Hagerstown Aircraft Services is on Basore Road at the Hagerstown Regional Airport, Richard A. Henson Field. Basore Road is accessible from U.S. 11 and Fly-In signs will be posted.